#Hashtag your way to social media success
Hashtagging can be a great way to promote your brand, but there’s a fine line between being savvy and alienating your audience.
A hashtag is created to group together messages on a particular topic. It’s a valuable tool for tracking the success of social media campaigns, as well as encouraging people to discuss a particular issue or theme.
Whether you’re using Twitter or Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram, crafting the perfect hashtag could be just the boost your online marketing efforts need.
Here’s our guide to help your business on its way to hashtagging success.
Don’t confuse your @ and #
The @ and # symbols have quite different functions in the world of social networking. The @ symbol is used to tag and contact other people or companies that also have social media accounts, whereas # will create a hashtag.
Mind the gap
Spaces should be avoided when creating hashtags to ensure an entire phrase is searchable. However, you can help differentiate words by capitalising the first letter. Don’t worry about this affecting the search results. Using #easterbunny will be just as searchable as #EasterBunny.
Be selective
You should always be selective when choosing hashtags. Putting a # symbol in front of every word not only makes your post difficult to read, but also causes confusion as to what your key message is.
It’s recommended that you use no more than three hashtags at any one time. The ones you choose should be specific and relevant to your campaign.
Keep it simple
Some of the most effective hashtags of the past few years have been the simplest. Examples such as #WorldCupFinal and #IceBucketChallenge have one thing in common – readers know exactly what they’re about.
Social media needs to be fast and accessible, and users don’t have the time or inclination to find out more about your cryptic hashtag. Also bear in mind that the longer the hashtag you use, the more likely it is to be misspelt. This also makes it increasingly difficult to track.
Adjust your privacy settings
If your company’s social media account is closely guarded with privacy settings, make sure you change them. Otherwise, users won’t be able to see the hashtags you’re promoting or where they’ve originated from, which could seriously limit their impact.
Marketing your hashtag
Once you’ve created the perfect hashtag, the next step encouraging people to share it. This should involve both on and offline advertising.
For example, if you’ve created a hashtag for a particular event you’re attending then make sure visitors know to use it. Event signage is a great way to promote this, as is any specific marketing material you might be using on the day.
Need any more help with hashtags or social media in general?
Dragonfly PR provides a fully integrated approach to PR and online marketing campaigns, including social media.
If you would like to discuss your online presence and find new ways to reach your target audience, call our digital team on 01709 300130 or email enquiries@dragonflypr.co.uk